Exception to the Rule
by Faye-Naruse
Summary: Tsuna volunteers to do the dishes and ends up alone in the kitchen with older Hibari. A question pops into his head before he can stop himself from blurting it out. Implied 1827.


Warning: Possible spoilers for the future arc.

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Exception to the Rule

"I'll clean up, you guys. Don't worry about it," Tsuna said with a small, sincere smile as everyone else exhaustedly made their way out of the kitchen, their stomachs full and their eyelids drooping from the long, draining day.

The two who remained, Haru and Kyoko, protested.

"But, Tsuna-san, you're working hard enough already!"

"Yeah, we can take care of it, Tsuna-kun."

"No, no, really. It's okay, I want to," Tsuna assured them, waving an arm as if to emphasize his insistence. The two girls looked uncertain, yet gave in surprisingly easy. They tiredly filed out of the kitchen, disappearing into their room for rest.

Tsuna hadn't planned on taking over the kitchen, but Haru and Kyoko had looked so worn out from cooking and simmering and frying and boiling and simply putting together the mouthwatering feast everyone had just enjoyed that Tsuna volunteered before he realized what he was doing.

But he wasn't expecting to be left alone with Hibari's older self. In fact, it had been forever since he'd been alone with Hibari, even his younger self. Actually, had it ever been just the two of them?

Nonetheless, Tsuna was a little startled to find the slender man rummaging through a cupboard in a corner of the kitchen, having seemingly appeared out of thin air. His presence was too heavy for Tsuna not to notice. He kept subconsciously glancing at Hibari, wondering what he might be thinking.

Tsuna shook his head, turning to the sink. _Well, these dishes aren't going to wash themselves…_

When he clumsily dropped the dish he'd been washing, it clinked loudly against the other dishware. It was only a knee-jerk reaction of Hibari's to look over, but when he did Tsuna could sense it. Tsuna's fingers twitched restlessly and he dropped a few more dishes, water splashing back up at him in heated retaliation.

"Ah!" He wiped the dish water from his face with an arm. By then Hibari had turned away, having lost interest, but Tsuna hoped that Hibari hadn't noticed how his cheeks tinted pink.

He mentally chided himself. _It's just Hibari-san…_

But Tsuna found himself staring again, his eyes wandering back over to the man. _He's taking a really long time there..._

"Hibari-san, do you need help? Are you looking for something?"

"No."

"Oh." The silence that followed was awkward, and Tsuna tried his best not to swallow loud enough for Hibari to hear.

Though a large part of Tsuna just wanted to run from the room, he couldn't help but notice how calm Hibari seemed, how Tsuna's presence didn't seem to bother him one bit. The week after he had first met Hibari's future self, Tsuna figured out that if Hibari wasn't fighting, or with one of the very rare exceptions (that were smart enough not to stick around long enough to anger Hibari anyway), Hibari much _much_ preferred to be alone, just like his younger self, and Tsuna knew he was neither Ryohei, Kusakabe, or the exception to the exception, Hibird.

Hibari's presence was still as intense as always, though not as hostile, Tsuna realized, as Hibari leaned up to reach something on a higher shelf. Even if they were just alone, was Hibari comfortable with him?

The question popped into Tsuna's brain before he could stop himself from blurting it out.

"Hibari-san…am I bothering you by being here?"

Hibari looked over at him.

"Not really."

Tsuna swallowed again, but decided to take his chance and ask another. "Hibari-san, how many people is a crowd to you?"

A small silence followed, and then suddenly Hibari was walking towards Tsuna, who turned when there was no reply.

The heels of Hibari's shoes clicked audibly on the kitchen tile as he crossed over to the boy. Tsuna flinched, stumbling back against the sink. Soap suds from his hands slowly dripped onto the floor as Hibari stood before him, looking down at him, his harsh stare on Tsuna's soft, hesitant brown eyes.

"At the moment, anybody besides us."

Tsuna didn't know how to respond.

Unable to force himself to continue making eye contact with the older man, Tsuna's gaze fell to Hibari's hand. For some reason, he was expecting it to move, to touch him, but it remained motionless at Hibari's side.

After a moment, Hibari's expression softened a bit. Tsuna still didn't budge, frozen on the spot, and neither did Hibari.

"No need to be so tense, Tenth."

Hibari's low voice echoed in Tsuna's eardrums, and Tsuna felt his body relax a little. Wait, wasn't that one of the first times Hibari had called him Tenth? The idea of it made Tsuna squirm, yet he was unsure why.

Abruptly, Hibari turned towards the door.

"H-Hibari-san..."

"You'll want to clean up that mess at your feet," Hibari said quietly over his shoulder.

"Y-Yeah..." Tsuna nodded, and then Hibari left.

Tsuna blinked. What the heck had just happened?


End file.
